Management of acute Achilles tendon ruptures: A review

Objectives

The incidence of acute Achilles tendon rupture appears to be increasing. The aim of this study was to summarize various therapies for acute Achilles tendon rupture and discuss their relative merits.

Methods

A PubMed search about the management of acute Achilles tendon rupture was performed. The search was open for original manuscripts and review papers limited to publication from January 2006 to July 2017. A total of 489 papers were identified initially and finally 323 articles were suitable for this review.

Results

The treatments of acute Achilles tendon rupture include operative and nonoperative treatments. Operative treatments mainly consist of open repair, percutaneous repair, mini-open repair, and augmentative repair. Traditional open repair has lower re-rupture rates with higher risks of complications. Percutaneous repair and mini-open repair show similar re-rupture rates but lower overall complication rates when compared with open repair. Percutaneous repair requires vigilance against nerve damage. Functional rehabilitation combining protected weight-bearing and early controlled motion can effectively reduce re-rupture rates with satisfactory outcomes. Biological adjuncts help accelerating tendon healing by adhering rupture ends or releasing highly complex pools of signalling factors.

Conclusion

The optimum treatment for complete rupture remains controversial. Both mini-open repair and functional protocols are attractive alternatives, while biotherapy is a potential future development.

Cite this article: X. Yang, H. Meng, Q. Quan, J. Peng, S. Lu, A. Wang. Management of acute Achilles tendon ruptures: A review. Bone Joint Res 2018;7:561–569. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.710.BJR-2018-0004.R2.

[A family with Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome due to SLC16A2 gene mutation]

Objective: To report a family diagnosed with Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome (AHDS) due to SLC16A2 gene mutation and to summarize the phenotypes, genotypes, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Methods: The clinical features of a family of AHDS diagnosed in Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in November 2017 were analyzed. Related literature was searched at Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), PubMed, CNKI and Wanfang database (from the establishment of databases to June 2018) by using "Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome" , and "AHDS" as keywords and the case reports from April 2013 to June 2018 were reviewed. Results: The proband was a boy aged 8 months who presented with global developmental retardation, inability to hold up the head, disability to sit independently or grab, no language development, elongated face, big ears, esotropia, scoliosis, hypotonia in the trunk, hypertonia in extremities, and hyperreflexia. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed widening of the extracerebral space and delayed myelination. Thyroid function tests revealed increased FT3, decreased FT4 and normal TSH. Whole exome sequencing (WES) revealed the SLC16A2 gene c.431-1 (IVS1) G>C hemizygous mutation. The infant's mother and grandmother are carriers, but whose father had no related mutation. One uncle from maternal side had severe psychomotor retardation as well as dystonia and died at one year of age with unknown etiology. A total of 97 articles were retrieved in which 19 case reports were reviewed. Forty-two cases (22 from 8 families and 20 sporadic) were reported. Among these 42 cases (all males), all of them presented with moderate to severe cognitive dysfunction, 15 with seizures; 36 were bedridden, only 4 could walk; 31 had no language development, 2 could speak sentences, 4 could speak few words, 1 had babbling sounds. Furthermore,16 had microcephaly, 18 had facial dysmorphism, 6 had esotropia, 2 had hearing loss,14 had scoliosis, 11 had joint contracture, 30 had low body weight/muscle wasting, 37 had hypotonia in trunk or extremities, 32 had progressive spastic paraplegia or hypertonia. In terms of thyroid function, 33 had abnormal results, within whom 30 had increased T3, 25 had decreased T4 and 3 had increased TSH. Brain MRI showed delayed myelination in 22 cases, within which one normalized with development. Genetic tests showed that 31 had missense mutation (14 sporadic), 5 had deletion mutation (3 sporadic, and 1 due to frameshift mutation), 5 had insertion mutation (2 sporadic), and 1 had repeated mutation. The prognosis was poor as patients often died of recurrent respiratory tract infection. Conclusions: The main clinical manifestations of AHDS are severe global developmental retardation, hypotonia, spastic paraplegia, abnormal serum levels of thyroid hormone and delayed brain myelination. SLC16A2 c. 431-1 (IVS1) G > C mutation is accountable for this disease.

[Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of dengue in China]

Dengue is the most prevalent and rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease. As a dengue non-endemic country, China has experienced several dengue outbreaks in recent years. However, dengue patients in China displayed distinct clinical characteristics compared to patients in endemic countries. To standardize the diagnosis and treatment of dengue fever, the experts of the Society of Infectious Diseases, Society of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology of Chinese Medical Association, and the Society of Emergency Medicine, China Association of Chinese Medicine have reached this guideline based on guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of dengue (World Health Organization, 2009); guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of dengue (National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People's Republic of China, 2014, Edition 2), health industry standard of the People's Republic of China "diagnosis for dengue fever (WS216-2018)" and systemic reports on dengue. The guideline includes 8 aspects: introduction, terminology, epidemiology and prevention, etiology and pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and problems to be solved.

Methionine and valine activate the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 pathway through heterodimeric amino acid taste receptor (TAS1R1/TAS1R3) and intracellular Ca2+ in bovine mammary epithelial cells

Amino acids play a key role in regulating milk protein synthesis partly through activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. However, the involvement of extracellular AA sensing receptors in this process is not well understood. In nonruminants, it is well established that the AA taste 1 receptor member 1/3 (TAS1R1/TAS1R3) heterodimer contributes to the sensing of most l-AA. Whether this receptor is functional in bovine mammary cells is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine essential AA signaling through TAS1R1/TAS1R3 and their roles in regulating mTOR signaling pathway and casein mRNA abundance in primary bovine mammary epithelial cells and the Mac-T cell line. The bovine mammary epithelial cells were stimulated with complete Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (+EAA), medium without EAA (-EAA), or medium supplemented with only 1 of the 10 essential AA, respectively. The nonessential AA levels were the same across all treatments. Small interference RNA targeting TAS1R1 were designed and transfected into bovine primary mammary epithelial cells (bPMEC). Supplementation of a complete mixture of essential AA or Arg, Val, Leu, His, Phe, Met, and Ile individually led to greater mTOR phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 kinase β-1 was greater in the presence of Val, Leu, Trp, Met, and Ile. Valine, Leu, Met, and Ile led to greater eIF4E-binding protein 1 phosphorylation. Although +EAA and a few individual AA tested induced increases in intracellular calcium, Met and Val were the most potent. Knockdown of TAS1R1 decreased intracellular calcium in bPMEC cultured with both Val and Met. Phosphorylation of mTOR, ribosomal protein S6 kinase β-1, and eIF4E-binding protein 1 was lower when TAS1R1 was knocked-down in bPMEC supplemented with Val and Met. In addition, small interference RNA silencing of TAS1R1 resulted in lower β-casein (CSN2) abundance. The TAS1R1/TAS1R3 receptor may sense extracellular AA and activate mTOR signaling in bovine mammary cells, likely by elevating intracellular calcium concentration. This mechanism appears to have a role in Met- and Val-induced changes in CSN2 mRNA abundance. Further in vivo studies will have to be performed to assess the relevance of this mechanism in the mammary gland.

Human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells combined with an acellular cartilage extracellular matrix scaffold improve cartilage repair compared with microfracture in a caprine model

OBJECTIVE

As a novel and promising seed cell, human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (hWJMSCs) are widely applied in tissue engineering. However, whether hWJMSCs can better repair and regenerate the articular cartilage in big animals than microfracture (MF, a predominant clinical treatment strategy for damaged cartilage) is unclear. Evaluation of the validity, and safety of hWJMSCs in a caprine model with a full-thickness femoral condyle articular cartilage defect, compared with MF is required.

METHODS

After cultivation and identification, hWJMSCs were seeded in an acellular cartilage extracellular matrix (ACECM)-oriented scaffold to construct cell-scaffold complex. Six goats with full-thickness femoral condyle articular cartilage defects were randomized to MF (microfracture group, MFG) and cell-scaffold complexes (experimental group, EG). At 2 and 4 weeks, joint fluid was used to assess immuno-inflammatory responses. At 6 and 9 months, all goats were euthanized for assessment of morphology, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), histology staining, and evaluation of the elasticity modulus and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) contents of the repaired regions.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences between the two groups in immuno-inflammatory parameters. MRI demonstrated higher-quality cartilage and complete subchondral bone at defect sites in the EG at 9 months. Histological staining showed that extracellular cartilage, cartilage lacuna and collagen type II levels were higher in the EG compared to the MFG, while the EG exhibited a higher elasticity modulus.

CONCLUSIONS

The hWJMSCs-ACECM scaffold complex achieved better quality repair and regeneration of hyaline cartilage without cartilage-inducing factor, while retaining the structure and functional integrity of the subchondral bone, compared with MF.

Linear growth model analysis of factors affecting boar semen characteristics in Southern China

This study investigated the factors affecting the semen traits of boars in Southern China. A total of 172,408 ejaculates of boars from 9 AI centers were collected from January 2013 to May 2016. A linear growth model was used to analyze the effects of leve1 1 (boar breed, age, season, and boar age at herd entry) and level 2 (housing type) factors on semen quality. The intraclass correlation coefficients of semen volume, total sperm number, functional sperm number, sperm concentration, motility, and abnormal sperm were 0.62, 0.62, 0.61, 0.60, 0.54, and 0.70, respectively. Boars reared in ordinary houses had lower total and functional sperm numbers than those reared in air filtration houses ( < 0.05). The functional sperm number of Duroc boars was lower than that of Landrace and Yorkshire boars ( < 0.05). The total and functional sperm numbers were lowest from May to September and peaked at the age of 34.1 and 37.7 mo, respectively. Furthermore, boars aged 8 and 9 mo at herd entry had greater functional sperm numbers than those aged 5, 6, 7, and 12 mo at herd entry ( < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed between boars aged 8 mo and boars aged 9 mo at herd entry ( > 0.05). In conclusion, the linear growth model is suitable for longitudinal data analysis. To improve boar breeding, sunstroke prevention in the early spring should be given greater attention. Importantly, 8 mo appears to be the most suitable age for boar introduction, especially for Duroc boars.

Field-induced magnetic phase transitions and memory effect in bilayer ruthenate Ca3Ru2O7 with Fe substitution

Bilayer ruthenate Ca3(Ru1-x Fe x )2O7 (x  =  0.05) exhibits an incommensurate magnetic soliton lattice driven by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Here we report complex field-induced magnetic phase transitions and memory effect in this system via single-crystal neutron diffraction and magnetotransport measurements. We observe first-order incommensurate-to-commensurate magnetic transitions upon applying the magnetic field both along and perpendicular to the propagation axis of the incommensurate spin structure. Furthermore, we find that the metastable states formed upon decreasing the magnetic field depend on the temperature and the applied field orientation. We suggest that the observed field-induced metastability may be ascribable to the quenched kinetics at low temperature.

A decrease in serum 1,5-anhydroglucitol levels is associated with the presence of a first-degree family history of diabetes in a Chinese population with normal glucose tolerance

AIM

This study aimed to investigate alterations in HbA_1c , glycated albumin (GA) and 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG) in Chinese first-degree relatives of individuals with diabetes (FDR) in pursuit of an index for early screening of glucose metabolism disturbance.

METHODS

A total of 467 participants (age range: 20-78 years) with normal weight and normal glucose tolerance, as determined by a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test, were enrolled. HbA_1c was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. Serum GA and 1,5-AG levels were determined by enzymatic methods. Serum insulin levels were measured using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.

RESULTS

The study population included 208 FDR and 259 non-FDR. Serum 1,5-AG levels were lower in FDR than that in non-FDR (20.4 ± 7.5 vs 23.8 ± 8.3 μg/ml, P < 0.001), but HbA_1c and GA levels did not differ between them (P = 0.835 and 0.469, respectively). Logistic regression analysis revealed an independent relationship between a first-degree family history of diabetes and reduced serum 1,5-AG levels (odds ratio = 0.944, P < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that a first-degree family history of diabetes (β = -3.041, P < 0.001) and insulinogenic index (β = 0.081, P = 0.001) were independently associated with serum 1,5-AG levels.

CONCLUSION

In a Chinese population with normal glucose tolerance, serum 1,5-AG levels were lower among FDR, and serum 1,5-AG levels were independently associated with FDR status. For FDR, serum 1,5-AG levels were more sensitive than HbA_1c or GA levels to early-phase abnormality in glucose metabolism.

The genetic diversity and population structures of indigenous pig breeds in Zhejiang Province revealed by GGRS sequencing

Chinese indigenous pigs in Zhejiang Province are well known for their high fecundity. In order to verify breed subdivision at the genomic level, we investigated genetic diversity and population structure of seven breeds and made comparisons with three Western pig breeds using next-generation sequencing data. Parameters obtained from allelic richness and proportion of polymorphic markers indicated that the genetic diversity of the Chinese indigenous pigs was higher than that of the Western pigs, with the highest and lowest values found in the Chaluand and the Landrace pigs respectively. Both neighbor-joining tree and principal components analysis could distinguish breeds from one another and structure analysis showed less differentiation among Western pigs than among the Chinese pigs. The average linkage disequilibrium decay over distance was significantly less in the Chinese pigs compared with the Western pigs, ranging from 188.2 to 280.6 kb for the Chinese pigs and 680.3 to 752.8 kb for the Western breeds and showing an average r² threshold value of 0.3. Results obtained from high-density SNP comparison over the whole genome on genetic diversity and population structure were in agreement with the current breed classification of the pigs in Zhejiang Province. More importantly, the results presented here advances our current understanding of the genomic biology of Chinese indigenous pigs in Zhejiang Province and allows for implementation of conservation strategies in additional breeds.

[Efficacy and safety of pegylated interferon α-2b injection (Y shape, 40 kD) in treatment of patients with genotype 1/6 chronic hepatitis C]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of the new investigational drug pegylated interferon α-2b (Peg-IFN-α-2b) (Y shape, 40 kD) injection (180 µg/week) combined with ribavirin in the treatment of patients with genotype 1/6 chronic hepatitis C (CHC), with standard-dose Peg-IFN-α-2a combined with ribavirin as a positive control. Methods: A multicenter, randomized, open-label, and positive-controlled phase III clinical trial was performed. Eligible patients with genotype 1/6 CHC were screened out and randomly divided into Peg-IFN-α-2b(Y shape, 40kD) group and Peg-IFN-α-2a group at a ratio of 2:1. The patients in both groups were given oral ribavirin for 48 weeks in addition and then followed up for 24 weeks after drug withdrawal. Abbott Real Time HCV Genotype II was used to determine HCV genotype, and Cobas TaqMan quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure HCV RNA level at 0, 4, 12, 24, 48, and 72 weeks. Adverse events were recorded in detail. The primary efficacy endpoint was sustained virological response (SVR), and a non-inferiority test was also performed. Results: A total of 561 patients with genotype 1/6 CHC were enrolled, among whom 529 received treatment; 90.9% of these patients had genotype 1 CHC. The data of the full analysis set showed that SVR rate was 69.80% (95% CI 65.00%-74.60%) in the trial group and 74.16% (95% CI 67.73%-80.59%) in the control group (P = 0.297 0). The data of the per protocol set (PPS) showed that SVR rate was 80.63% (95% CI 76.04%-85.23%) in the trial group and 81.33% (95% CI 75.10%-87.57%) in the control group (P = 0.849 8), and the 95% CI of rate difference conformed to the non-inferiority standard. The analysis of the PPS population showed that of all subjects, 47.9% achieved rapid virologic response, with a positive predictive value of 93.8%. The incidence rate of adverse events was 96.30% in the trial group and 94.94% in the control group, and the incidence rate of serious adverse events was 5.13% in the trail group and 5.06% in the control group. Conclusion: In the regimen of Peg-IFN-α combined with ribavirin for the treatment of genotype 1/6 CHC, the new investigational drug Peg-IFN-α-2b(Y shape, 40 kD) has comparable clinical effect and safety to the control drug Peg-IFN-α-2a.

High-dose dexamethasone or all-trans-retinoic acid restores the balance of macrophages towards M2 in immune thrombocytopenia

Essentials M1/M2 imbalance is involved in many autoimmune diseases, and could be restored. The expressions and functions of M1 and M2 were investigated in an in vitro culture system. A preferred M1 polarization is involved in the pathogenesis of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). High-dose dexamethasone or all-trans-retinoic acid restores M1/M2 balance in ITP patients.

SUMMARY

Background Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder. Deficiency of immune tolerance in antigen-presenting cells and cross-communication between antigen-presenting cells and T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of ITP. Macrophages can polarize into proinflammatory M1 or anti-inflammatory M2 phenotypes in response to different environmental stimuli, and have diverse immunologic functions. Objectives To investigate the M1/M2 imbalance in ITP and whether high-dose dexamethasone (HD-DXM) or all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) could restore this imbalance. Methods The numbers of M1 and M2 macrophages in the spleens of ITP patients and patients with traumatic spleen rupture were analyzed by immunofluorescence. Monocyte-derived macrophages were cultured and induced with cytokines and drugs. The expression of M1 and M2 markers and functions of M1 and M2 macrophages before and after modulation by HD-DXM or ATRA were evaluated with flow cytometry and ELISA. Results There was preferred M1 polarization in ITP spleens as compared with healthy controls. Monocyte-derived macrophages from ITP patients had increased expression of M1 markers and impaired immunosuppressive functions. Either HD-DXM or ATRA corrected this imbalance by decreasing the expression of M1 markers and increasing the expression of M2 markers. Moreover, HD-DXM-modulated or ATRA-modulated macrophages suppressed both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell proliferation and expanded CD4+ CD49+ LAG3+ type 1 T-regulatory cells. HD-DXM or ATRA modulated macrophages to shift the T-cell cytokine profile towards Th2. Treating patients with HD-DXM or ATRA revealed that macrophages induced from responders showed a predominant M2-like phenotype and immunosuppressive function. Conclusions Aberrant macrophage polarization is involved in the pathogenesis of ITP. Either HD-DXM or ATRA is able to correct this imbalance.

Increased expression of programmed cell death protein 1 on NK cells inhibits NK-cell-mediated anti-tumor function and indicates poor prognosis in digestive cancers

Abnormal expression of activating/inhibitory receptors leads to natural killer (NK) cells dysfunction in tumor. Here we show that programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), a well-known immune checkpoint of T cells, is highly expressed on peripheral and tumor-infiltrating NK cells from patients with digestive cancers including esophageal, liver, colorectal, gastric and biliary cancer. The increased PD-1 expression on NK cells indicates poorer survival in esophageal and liver cancers. Blocking PD-1/PD-L1 signaling markedly enhances cytokines production and degranulation and suppresses apoptosis of NK cells in vitro. PD-1/PD-L1 exerts inhibitory effect through repressing the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling in NK cells. More importantly, a PD-1 blocking antibody was found to significantly suppress the growth of xenografts in nude mice, and this inhibition of tumor growth was completely abrogated by NK depletion. These findings strongly suggested that PD-1 is an inhibitory regulator of NK cells in digestive cancers. PD-1 blockade might be an efficient strategy in NK cell-based tumor immunotherapy.

Immunohistochemical evaluation of epidermal proliferation, differentiation and melanocytic density in symmetrical acrokeratoderma

BACKGROUND

Symmetrical acrokeratoderma (SAK) is characterized by brown to black hyperkeratotic patches on acral regions. Although epidermal hyperkeratosis and acanthosis are consistent pathological changes, the nature of epidermal hyperplasia is unknown.

AIM

To evaluate epidermal proliferation and differentiation and melanocytic density in skin lesions of SAK.

METHODS

Expression of keratin 10 (K10), K14, K16, involucrin, filaggrin, Ki-67, and Melan-A was detected by immunohistochemistry in eight patients with SAK, seven patients with ichthyosis vulgaris (IV) and six healthy controls (HCs).

RESULTS

Expression of K14, K16, involucrin and filaggrin was upregulated in patients with SAK compared with patients with IV and the HCs (P < 0.01-0.05), but K10 expression was similar for the three groups (P > 0.05). Numbers of Ki-67+ and Melan-A+ cells were higher in patients with SAK than in patients with IV and the HCs (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate that excessive keratinocyte proliferation and abnormal differentiation contribute to epidermal hyperplasia, while melanocytic proliferation is responsible for the pigmented lesions in SAK.

[Dynamin-1-related infantile spasms: a case report and review of literature]

Objective: To analyze the clinical and gene mutation characteristics of dynamin-1 (DNM1)-related infantile spasms. Method: Clinical, laboratory and genetic data of one case of DNM1-related infantile spasms diagnosed by Xiangya Hospital in September 2015 were analyzed.Through taking "Dynamin-1" "DNM1" as key words to search at CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed and OMIM to date (April 2016), the clinical characteristics of 9 reported cases of DNM1-related epileptic encephalopathy in international literature with our case were reviewed. Result: The boy is the second child of healthy and nonconsanguineous parents.At 7 months, he started to have seizures with head dropping, and he was brought for the first time to our hospital at the age of 17 months.The patient presented with severe psychomotor retardation, epilepsy, muscular hypotonia, and electroencephalography showed hypsarhythmia.He received 28 days of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) therapy.After that, his seizures were improved with valproic acid and levetiracetam, and disappeared between 3 years and 5 months to 5 years and 5 months of age on treatment with valproic acid only.Exome-sequencing study (trios) identified novel heterozygous mutation c. 443A>G (p.Glu148Arg) in DNM1. Up to now, 9 cases of epileptic encephalopathy (infantile spasms or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome) associated with de novo DNM1 gene mutations have been reported. Conclusion: The main clinical features of DNM1 mutations include intractable seizures, intellectual disability, developmental delay, hypotonia, and developmental delay before the onset of seizures.

The association between GGCX, miR-133 genetic polymorphisms and warfarin stable dosage in Han Chinese patients with mechanical heart valve replacement

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE

Warfarin is a widely used anticoagulant with a narrow therapeutic index. Polymorphisms in the VKORC1, CYP2C9 and CYP4F2 genes have been verified to correlate with warfarin stable dosage (WSD). Whether any other genes or variants affect the dosage is unknown. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between GGCX, miR-133 variants and the WSD in Han Chinese patients with mechanical heart valve replacement (MHVR).

METHODS

A total of 231 patients were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were collected for genotyping. The average WSD among subjects with different GGCX or miR-133 genotypes was compared. Regression analyses were performed to test for any association of genetic polymorphisms with WSD.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The warfarin dosage in patients with the GGCX rs699664 TT and rs12714145 TT genotypes was 3.77±0.93 (95% CI: 3.35-4.19) mg/d and 3.70±1.00 (95% CI: 3.32-4.09) mg/d, respectively. The GGCX rs699664 and rs12714145 genotypes were significantly associated with WSD (P<.05). But they were ruled out in the multivariate regression analysis. There were no significant differences in the average warfarin stable dosage between subjects with MIR133B rs142410335 wild-type and variant genotypes (P>.05).

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

The genotypes of GGCX rs699644 and rs12714145 were significantly associated with WSD (P<.05), but their contributions were not significant after accounting for other factors. MIR133B rs142410335 makes no significant contributions to warfarin stable dosage in Han Chinese patients with MHVR neither in univariate regression nor in multivariate regression analyses.

Effects of feeding regimen on weight gain, semen characteristics, libido, and lameness in 170- to 250-kilogram Duroc boars

A 2-period field trial was conducted to determine the effects of feeding regimen on weight gain, semen characteristics, libido, and lameness in 170- to 200-kg (period 1) and 200- to 250-kg (period 2) boars. Sixty-one Duroc boars were allotted to 1 of 3 dietary treatments and 15 g/d fish oil was also provided for each experimental boar, to maintain the n-6:n-3 intake ratio at approximately 6.1:1. The energy intakes of the 3 treatment groups were controlled by basing the feed intake on a corn-soybean meal-based diet (3.11 Mcal/kg of ME) to create: 1) low energy intake group (L, = 20, 7.3 Mcal/d of ME), 2) medium energy intake group (M, = 20, 7.7 Mcal/d of ME), and 3) high energy intake group (H, = 21, 8.3 Mcal/d of ME) in period 1. Feed intake was then increased to 7.6, 8.2, and 8.6 Mcal/d of ME for the 3 groups, respectively, in period 2. During the 28-wk experimental period, boar weight gain, testis volume, semen characteristics, libido, toe measurements, claw lesions, and lameness were examined, and the number of boars culled in each group was recorded to calculate the culling rate. Although there were no differences in testis volume, sperm concentration, and motility, the percentage of abnormal sperm, the percentage of claw lesions, and claw lesion scores differed among treatments ( > 0.05), and ADG was significantly increased with the increase of energy intake between the 2 periods ( < 0.05). The M and H boars had significantly greater total sperm number and functional sperm number than the L boars ( < 0.05), while no significant difference was observed between the M and H groups ( > 0.05). Nonetheless, the H boars took more time to mount the collection dummy and produce an ejaculate and, in particular, showed a greater percentage of lameness than the L and M boars ( < 0.05). Therefore, the medium energy intake regimen (energy intakes of 7.7 and 8.2 Mcal/d of ME with ADG of 454.5 and 375.3 g/d in 2 periods, respectively) improved the total sperm number and functional sperm number, and meanwhile decreased the occurrence of lameness in 170- to 250-kg Duroc boars.

[A childhood-onset rapid-onset dystonia parkinsonism family with ATP1A3 gene mutation and literatures review]

Objective: To explore clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of a family with childhood-onset rapid-onset dystonia parkinsonism (RDP) caused by ATP1A3 gene mutation and review literatures. Method: The clinical data of a RDP child, his brother and mother had been analyzed retrospectively. This family was admitted to Xiangya Hospital in January 2016. DNA samples were analyzed by the next-generation sequencing and confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Related literature from PubMed, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), CNKI and Wanfang databases to date (up to October 2016) with"Rapid-onset dystonia-parkinsonism""RDP""DYT12" as key words was reviewed. Result: The proband boy was three years and four months old (April 2015) when he had the first attack of the disease. After a febricity, he suddenly acquired acute aphasia and limb movement disorder. Rehabilitation therapy and supportive treatment made his speech gradually recovered but still slurred. However, his abnormal walking posture still existed. Nine months later (January 2016, 4 years and one months old), symptoms including aphasia, dysphagia, and weakness with rostrocaudal gradient reoccured after fever. The disease progressed to the critical condition within 24 hours. He"seizured" four times with tonic spasms of limbs but without loss of consciousness. Family history showed his grandparents were consanguineous marriage. His mother and brother also developed abnormal gait and dysarthria after an infection before primary school age. Their symptoms improved gradually without relapsing. However, they did not recover entirely with mild intellectual disability. His mother had a healthy brother and sister. This proband had no other siblings but the brother. Heterozygous missense mutation p. R756H in ATP1A3 gene was detected in this proband, his mother and his brother. This mutation had been reported pathogenically related to RDP, and it located in highly conserved gene region. Benzodiazepine was used for the proband and his brother, with the proband being improved better although not completely. Meanwhile, benzodiazepine had no significant effect on his mother because of poor compliance. This is the first case report of RDP in China. The mutations of ATP1A3 have been previously reported in 51 patients including 6 large families and 16 other unrelated patients. A total of 14 different mutations in ATP1A3 gene with RDP have been reported to date, including 12 missense mutations, a 3-bp in-frame deletion, and a 3-bp in-frame insertion. The sporadic cases all had the typical clinical phenotypes of RDP, such as the abrupt onset of dysarthria, dysphagia, limb dystonia with bradykinesia, and postural instability. The symptoms of bulbar and arms were much more obvious. It was hard to diagnose RDP in a family because some patients had typical symptoms of RDP, while the others might experience from mild symptoms to no symptoms, which might be related to incomplete penetrance of RDP. Two cases carrying the same mutation as our patients also presented some overlapping phenotypes. Conclusion: The p. R756H heterozygous mutation in ATP1A3 gene is the pathogenic mutation of RDP, analysis of genotype-phenotype correlations of RDP will be very important and meaningful.

Spodoptera litura autophagy-related protein 1 interacts with autophagy-related protein 5 and enhances its degradation

It is known that the autophagy-related protein 1 (ATG1) plays critical roles in the regulation of autophagy in mammals and yeast, whereas the function of ATG1 in lepidopteran insects is not well elucidated. Here Spodoptera litura ATG1 (SlATG1) and its interactions with other ATG proteins were characterized. Alternative splicing of SlAtg1 produced at least four transcript variants. Over-expression and RNA interference knockdown of SlAtg1 demonstrated that SlATG1 enhanced autophagy. SlATG1A-Green fluorescent protein (GFP) tagged localized in the cytoplasm and formed some punctuate dots, which were colocalized with red fluorescent protein mCherry tagged Spodoptera exigua ATG5 (SeATG5). SlATG1A-GFP over-expression reduced the nuclear abundance of mCherry-SeATG5 but increased its cytoplasmic abundance. Pull-down, co-immunoprecipitation and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays showed that SlATG1A bound to SeATG5 through the N-terminus of SlATG1A. The over-expression of FLAG epitope tagged SlATG1A significantly increased the accumulation of the cleaved GFP from GFP-SeATG5, suggesting the enhanced degradation of GFP-SeATG5. In addition, we confirmed that the interactions of SlATG1 with other autophagy-related proteins were conserved. These results provide the first evidence that ATG1 interacts with ATG5 and enhances its degradation in lepidopteran insect cells, which may have important physiological functions.

Estimation of the optimum digestible lysine level for Cherry Valley ducks

The aim of the current study was to determine the digestible lysine (DLys) requirement of Cherry Valley ducks from 1 to 14 d and from 15 to 35 d of age. One-day-old male Cherry Valley ducks (n = 320) were divided randomly and evenly into five treatments with 8 replicates of 8 birds. Ducks were fed adequate levels of digestible amino acid but with graded levels of DLys: 0.80, 0.88, 0.96, 1.04, and 1.12% from 1 to 14 d; 0.60, 0.68, 0.76, 0.84, and 0.92% from 15 to 35 d. At 35 d of age, 8 ducks per treatment were slaughtered for evaluating the yields of abdominal fat, subcutaneous fat, breast meat, and leg meat. Additionally, a 7-d metabolizable experiment was conducted with ducks of the same hatch beginning on d 35 (8 ducks per treatment). The results showed that the DLys level in diet had a quadratic relationship both with the average daily gain (ADG) and feed:gain ratio (F/G). According to the quadratic model, an optimum digestible lysine level was 0.948% from 0 to 14 d and 0.758% from 15 to 35 d based on ADG. The digestible lysine level for obtaining minimum F/G were 0.986% (0 ∼ 14 d) and 0.792% (15 ∼ 35 d), respectively. Breast meat yield (P = 0.110) and subcutaneous fat percentage (P = 0.021) showed a quadratic or linear response to the increasing dietary DLys level. To achieve maximum breast meat yield, the digestible lysine level of 0.961% and 0.761% were needed for the starter period (1 ∼ 14 d) and the growth period (14 ∼ 35 d), respectively. N excretion showed a quadratic response to the increasing dietary DLys level (P = 0.103). The results of the current study suggested that the optimum digestible lysine level was very different with the response criterion. The dietary digestible lysine levels were 0.948, 0.961% in the starter period (1 ∼ 14 d) and 0.758, 0.761% in the growth period (15 ∼ 35 d) for ADG, F/G, respectively.

The pre-rRNA processing factor DEF is rate limiting for the pathogenesis of MYCN-driven neuroblastoma

The nucleolar factor, digestive organ expansion factor (DEF), has a key role in ribosome biogenesis, functioning in pre-ribosomal RNA (pre-rRNA) processing as a component of the small ribosomal subunit (SSU) processome. Here we show that the peripheral sympathetic nervous system (PSNS) is very underdeveloped in def-deficient zebrafish, and that def haploinsufficiency significantly decreases disease penetrance and tumor growth rate in a MYCN-driven transgenic zebrafish model of neuroblastoma that arises in the PSNS. Consistent with these findings, DEF is highly expressed in human neuroblastoma, and its depletion in human neuroblastoma cell lines induces apoptosis. Interestingly, overexpression of MYCN in zebrafish and in human neuroblastoma cells results in the appearance of intermediate pre-rRNAs species that reflect the processing of pre-rRNAs through Pathway 2, a pathway that processes pre-rRNAs in a different temporal order than the more often used Pathway 1. Our results indicate that DEF and possibly other components of the SSU processome provide a novel site of vulnerability in neuroblastoma cells that could be exploited for targeted therapy.

Fabrication of nanopore and nanoparticle arrays with high aspect ratio AAO masks

How to use high aspect ratio anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes as an etching and evaporation mask is one of the unsolved problems in the application of nanostructured arrays. Here we describe the versatile utilizations of the highly ordered AAO membranes with a high aspect ratio of more than 20 used as universal masks for the formation of various nanostructure arrays on various substrates. The result shows that the fabricated nanopore and nanoparticle arrays of substrates inherit the regularity of the AAO membranes completely. The flat AAO substrates and uneven AAO frontages were attached to the Si substrates respectively as an etching mask, which demonstrates that the two kinds of replication, positive and negative, represent the replication of the mirroring of Si substrates relative to the flat AAO substrates and uneven AAO frontages. Our work is a breakthrough for the broad research field of surface nano-masking.